Ravaged by the Revolution
Tuesday, August 15, 2017
He proposed adopting the Malay language as Indonesia’s unifying language. His radio speeches kindled nationalist fervor in the youth and his poetry lay the foundations for the use of the Indonesian language in modern poetry. But Amir Hamzah was caught in between the desire for independence and his lineage. Being the son-in-law of the Sultan of Langkat, who was allied with the Dutch, meant the poet was seen as pro-Dutch. His name also appeared on secret Dutch intelligence documents in the fight against the Japanese, which angered socialist youths. Amir died at the hands of a trusted person in a revolution to unite the Republic, on March 20, 1946.
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Revolutions often sacrifice their own. Amir Hamzah was executed by socialist youths in the tumult following the Dutch colonial government’s eviction from the Langkat Sultanate, East Sumatra, on March 20, 1946. Amir, a Pujangga Baru (New Literati) poet, had always been active in organizations fighting for the Indonesian archipelago’s independence from the Dutch.
Amir took part in most of the independence movements prior to Indonesia’s procl
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